Trail Legend: Ima Petite Classic

By Jessica Carr for The American Quarter Horse Journal

Ima Petite Classic has made his name as a western riding horse – but he’s a pretty good trail horse, too.

During his career, Ima Petite Classic earned 4,289 AQHA points, including 1,266 in open trail, 230.5 in youth trail and 517 in amateur trail.  

The Reeve family of Garden City, Kansas, didn’t plan to own Ima Petite Classic for the rest of his life, but he earned their love and respect.

Ima Petite Classic was a 1999 black gelding by Petite Lord and out of Sheza Classy Kitty by Jolly Van Bar. He was bred by Kramer/Davis of Reddick, Florida, and was owned by Lee Reeve.

Lee was looking for a horse for his daughter, Darcy, to show while A Certain Vino was in training, and that’s when the family bought “Kramer” from Linda Davis of Franktown, Colorado.

“(Darcy) was going to show him (Kramer) for about two or three years, and when ‘Vino’ was ready, we would sell him, but like always, we’ve still got both of them,” Lee says.

Ima Petite Classic has more than $120,000 in winnings through the AQHA World Championship Show and National Snaffle Bit Association earnings with the Reeves family and AQHA Professional Horseman Charlie Cole of Pilot Point, Texas.

Lee says the horse was a good fit for trail because of his stride. He has the lope of a western pleasure horse with a lot of follow-through to make the trail pattern look elegant and effortless.

“He’s a real elegant mover, and that’s what gives him that edge,” Lee says.

Kramer was world champion in senior western riding in 2013 and 2015 and reserve world champion in 2012 and 2014. With Darcy, he was reserve world champion in amateur western riding in 2012-2013 and reserve world champion in youth western riding in 2009.

“I developed a really good bond with Kramer,” Charlie says. “He was a really unique horse, but once I figured him out, I really understood him.”

Somewhat lost in the western riding achievements were all Kramer’s accomplishments in trail. He was consistently a trail finalist at the World Show and placed in the top 10 in year-end trail in youth, amateur or open from 2008 until 2018.

In 2014, he was the all-around high-point gelding, reserve all-around high-point senior horse and in the top-10 for high-point trail horses.

The horse was able to rate himself so he gracefully moved over the trail obstacles, Lee says.

“He’s just a really good honest horse, but you kind of have to set him up,” Lee says. “If he is losing focus, you just kind of have to get your legs in him and get him focused again.”

He was retired in February 2018 and he died in July 2018. He was buried at Highpooint Performance Horses in Pilot Point, Texas.

“We were lucky to have him, and he was lucky to have us,” Charlie says.